Right Before the Finish
by librawriter
Summary: Harry breaks up with Ginny after he realizes that he's got to face Voldemort and might not return. But a breakup doesn't always mean the end of feelings, which Harry learns during Bill and Fleur's wedding weekend.
1. Chapter 1 Only The Lonely

Right Before the Finish

Chapter 1: Only The Lonely

So far**,** it had been a depressing summer for Harry Potter. The highlight had been returning briefly to the Dursley's home to pack the rest of his belongings, as he was leaving for good. Packing had given him the strangest mixed emotions- as many times as he'd wished he had another place to go in the past, he felt quite sad as he put the memories of the past seven years in his suitcase and trunk. After he left their house, he would truly be without any family to speak of. Truthfully, he could not call his Aunt and Uncle family, and would not keep in touch. He was as good as an orphan as far as they were concerned, and had made Harry feel as such his whole life.

Nevertheless, Harry had already made his plans. After moving out of the Dursley's, he was going to stay with Ron's family at the Burrow until after the wedding, and then start his search for the final Horcux. It left a heavy burden on his heart, but he knew he had to do it, for Dumbledore.

Mourning the loss of Dumbledore was hard enough in itself. After all, he had been a father figure to Harry, had guided him, helped him, believed in him in ways that had made him not only a better wizard, but a better friend; yet Harry had also been mourning another loss, another trouble that hurt his heart so badly that he fought every day to keep from weeping, and that trouble's name was Ginny Weasley.

Beautiful, confident Ginny. She was his first true love, the only girl he could ever love, and not only because she understood him inside and out. He loved her for her strength, for her determination, for her sassiness, her laughter, her smile—hell, she was even fantastic at Quidditch. She had blossomed right before his eyes, from a shy, uncertain girl to a bold and wonderful woman; it had hit him like a ton of bricks the first time he kissed her.

Harry often thought bitterly how unfair it was to love someone the way he loved Ginny and not be able to be with them. There were, of course, the _ifs._ _If_ he found the final Horcrux and it led him to his nemesis Voldemort, and _if_ he was able to defeat the most feared wizard of their time and _if_ he lived to tell the tale, he would be able to be love Ginny the way he wanted, to have as normal a life as he could. But then that would require Ginny waiting for him and his quest could take months. Years. He may never even come back, and this was a possibility he had accepted long ago.

Of course Ginny would have suitors. She already had them, several, for what man in his right mind _wouldn't _be attracted to her? What man wouldn't love to run his fingers through her long, thick, silky auburn hair? Or stare into her eyes, the exact color of the sky before a storm? What man wouldn't want to kiss her pouty lips? And, Merlin, the way she had developed over the years…her curves drove Harry mad whenever he thought of her, especially last summer, when she'd worn that green polka dot bathing suit to go swimming, screaming with laughter as he splashed her with water. She had the body of a goddess and the temper of one too- she feared nothing. She was intelligent and fiercely loyal. She was brave. She was the one he wanted and needed so desperately but could not have, not unless she was willing to wait.

Harry doubted she would wait; after all, why should she? She could have anyone she wanted, probably anyone she _didn't_ want (he'd heard rumors that even Malfoy had been interested in her), and he was cursed; he was doomed to be alone. It just wasn't fair.

So many times before he knew he'd be seeing her at the Burrow, he'd started to write her letters:

_Dear Ginny, _

_I can't stop thinking about you. All I want to do is run away with you, just __forget all of what I have to do and take you away _

_Ginny,_

_Do you hate me for breaking up with you? Do you understand why I had to__? I love you_

_Gin, _

_Have you found someone else? Already? __If I see you with another man, I'll lose my mind. _

All the letters ended up as crumpled parchment in the bottom of his trunk. He knew he didn't have the nerve to send them. And knowing her, well, she'd probably turned against him by now. She was too tough to wallow in misery over him, she probably would have waited until she saw him again to hurl the letters back in his face, snarling at him, "You jackass! I got over you months ago!"

Yet the time had come that he had been apprehensive about yet anticipating—Bill and Fleur's wedding weekend. He was arriving at the Burrow two days early. And it was time to go. He had no idea what to expect from Ginny or from the family. Maybe they all hated him for breaking up with their daughter. Ron seemed to understand. But maybe his parents didn't.

He would find out soon enough.


	2. Chapter 2 It's About Time!

_A/N: I forgot to add this last time. I wrote this one years ago but dug it out of ruins. This basically takes place right after HBP. You probably guessed that by now. Anywhoo, on to the disclaimer: I own nothing Harry Potter, except the thrills I get every time I see the previews for HP7. _

Chapter 2: It's About Time!

Much to his relief, the Weasley's did not hate Harry. When he had arrived, he found the Burrow in its usual full state of activity, minus Ginny and Mrs. Weasley, who were out shopping for last minute floral arrangements.

A comfortable calmness settled over him as he enjoyed the laughter and commotion. Harry had always loved being around the Weasley family; it was so different from what he had known growing up. Bill and the twins were having a rowdy wresting and hexing match as Mr. Weasley bellowed at them to stop, as he was trying to get some wedding decorations up in the main room. Charlie and his now pregnant Romanian wife were trying to add the finishing touches to some elaborate looking meat dish in the kitchen. Hermione was even there, which surprised Harry.

"I didn't know you were coming before the wedding," Harry said to her when he'd made it past all the hugs and claps on the back.

"Yes, well…I thought I'd be able to help. How are you feeling?" Hermione said, peering closely at him.

"I'm doing fine," Harry lied, and ignored Hermione's skeptical look. "Honestly. I'm really looking forward to the wedding. I just want to have a good time. I don't want to talk about Voldemort or Horcruxes. _Please_."

He leaned back against the wall, and noticed that Hermione and Ron were exchanging glances at each other, both blushing.

"What?" Harry asked, feeling as if he were under a microscope.

"It's just that…well…" Ron drifted off, looking at Hermione and back at Harry again.

"It's just that we…we sort of…need you to know something…" Hermione tried.

Harry sat up. "What? What do you two know that I don't?" he asked, alarmed. He racked his brain trying to think of what they were so hesitant to tell him—they had changed their minds and would not be helping him find the Horcruxes after all…Bill and Fleur had split up at the last minute and the wedding had been cancelled, and he would have to return to the Dursley's…or the wedding was still on, and Ginny's new boyfriend was coming as a guest and Harry would have to sit with him at dinner…the wedding was still on only Harry hadn't really been invited after all...

"We hooked up a few weeks ago," Ron blurted out suddenly.

Harry hadn't been expecting this. He blinked, confused. "Hooked up?"

"Me. And Hermione, of course. We're, um, we're together. We thought we'd tell you when you got here, rather than be prats about it and send an owl or something. Hope you don't mind," Ron said. Hermione was red faced and silent, watching Harry.

Harry's first reaction was a feeling of jealousy. _Blimey, am I the only one that's out of love these days? _But he knew that his two best friends had wanted each other for ages. He shouldn't be selfish about it. He should be, and was, happy for them.

He grinned, despite the dull throb that stabbed his heart as he thought of Ginny. "That's great, guys. I'm relieved, actually. It took you long enough," Harry said. Hermione let out a sigh of relief.

"Oh, I'm _so_ glad you aren't upset with us. We weren't sure what you'd do when you found out," she said. Her cheeks were now rosy and pink; it was obvious to see how happy she was, how happy they both were. Harry fought another flash of jealousy; he tried instead to grin harder.

"Rubbish, what's to be upset about?" he scoffed with a laugh. "When did this all happen?"

Ron and Hermione blushed furiously, gazing at each other, and Harry thought that they were going to forget he was in front of them and start to kiss right then and there, but they didn't. He kept pushing thoughts of Ginny out of his mind. She was bound to return to the Burrow any second now. Ron said they'd been "just looking" for over three hours…

"It was right after school let out—"

"Yes, around that time. Ron and I just started writing each other more and we sort of let each other know how we felt about each other…actually, Ron said it first—"

"…Really got to thinking about all that after the funeral. I just wanted her to know how much I fancied her…it was kind of like, you never know how much time you've got with someone—"

"No, you really don't. I'm glad we know now, though. No more wasting time," Hermione said, and blushed even harder. Ron did too. He turned to Harry, adding, "Say, Harry, you'd be proud of us. D'you know we hardly row anymore-"

"That's not exactly true, we just argued this morning about who won the first Quidditch World Cup, which was the Irish Team, and you said—"

"That was more like a disagreement–"

"What on _earth's_ the difference?"

Harry laughed; it felt good. And just as he was about to tell Ron that Hermione had been right about the World Cup, he heard the sound of the front door open, along with the cheerful voices of two distinct women. One was that of Molly Weasley.

The other was Ginny's.


	3. Chapter 3 I Confess

_A/N: Remember, I started this right after the HBP, so Fred is still alive (sniff). He'll probably stay alive in this story, which makes this an AU fic. I've got the next chapter written, but it needs major editing, so please be prepared to wait a sec for Chapter 4. Thank you so much for the sub/reviews! _

Chapter 3: I Confess

Before Harry, Hermione and Ron could even make it to the kitchen, Mrs. Weasley had erupted into full fledged screams.

"GNOMES! LOOK AT THEM TEARING UP THE GARDEN! FRED AND GEORGE, YOU _PROMISED_ TO GET RID OF THEM! ARTHUR, STOP THEM! THERE THEY ARE DESTROYING ALL THE WORK I'VE DONE FOR THE WEDDING—"

"Sneaky little buggers! I can't believe they dodged us!" exclaimed Fred.

"Come on, Fred, this is the perfect time to try out our latest invention, Smart Arse Potion for Poxes, Posers, and the Like!" George said. They threw open the back door and dashed outside, Mr. Weasley on their heels as Mrs. Weasley screamed after them, "Get them! There goes one! And another!"

Harry was trying hard _not_ to laugh, but gave up when he saw everyone else doubled over.

"I shouldn't be laughing, seeing as how it _is_ my wedding…but the way Mum looked…her face…"Bill wheezed as he wiped his eye.

Harry had turned to comment about all the excitement to Hermione and Ron, but saw that they were pressed closely together against the wall, snogging furiously. Embarrassed, he whipped around quickly and bumped hard into Ginny, who tripped over her mother's abandoned pocketbook. She fell to the ground with an, "Oof!"

"Ginny! I'm so sorry…Here you are," Harry said, feeling like a dolt. He grabbed her hands, which felt soft and warm in his already sweating ones, and helped her to her feet.

"Way to say hello, Harry," Ginny teased with a little smile. She stood up and brushed herself off.

"I'm so sorry, really—"

"Harry, it's okay—

"I really didn't see you there—"

"Harry! I know, _I know_. It was an accident. It's okay. I grew up in a house full of obnoxious boys. I've suffered worse things than tripping over my mum's purse," Ginny said. She leaned forward and gave him a quick, unexpected embrace.

"I'm happy to see you," she said. The hug was over as soon as it had begun, leaving Harry disappointed.

"I'm happy to see you, too," Harry said. He couldn't stop staring at her, even though he knew he should avert his eyes. She kept trying to look away, but seemed caught in his gaze. Finally she took a deep breath, then turned from him, heading towards the kitchen. Harry followed her, unable to help himself.

"Ginny—" Harry started, reaching for her hand. When Ginny looked into his eyes, he could see it, how hurt she was. It killed him inside. He wanted her to know he felt the same way. Hell, he just wanted to take her and run away from all this, the wedding, the search for Horcruxes, everything.

"Harry," she said, taking her hand back. "Don't make this harder for me."

"I just want to talk," he said.

"No, I don't think so. You've said all you needed to say, and I've accepted it," she said.

"But I want to explain!" he said desperately.

Ginny crossed her arms across her chest, and huffed some hair out of her eyes. "Do you think I'm still that girl who could barely look up from the floor when you came around? I'm not. I'm all grown up. And I know you, I know what you have to do against Voldemort. You said it yourself, it doesn't leave room for two, not until the whole thing's done. That could take years. Anything could happen, you could find someone new, I could find someone new. You might return and be completely changed. I've accepted that possibility, among others."

"If you go with another bloke, I'll go mad," Harry said, stepping closer to her.

"It's over, Harry. You said it yourself. We'll always be friends, but the truth is that you're going to be leaving soon and I might never see you again. So like you said, it's better this way. Let's just move _on _with our lives," Ginny said sadly.

Harry didn't know what to say. He knew she was tough, and knew that she might respond this way, by shutting him out and shutting him off. He was frustrated and a little angry that he couldn't communicate with her the way he wanted. "Fine," he said coldly, shoving his hands in his pockets. He could play the _I don't care_ game as well. He was used to it; he'd been playing _I don't care_ his whole life, practically. "Have it your way. It's over. We'll move on."

"It's my brother's wedding weekend, for Merlin's sake. Don't ruin it for me. I'll ignore you if I have to," Ginny said stubbornly, and pushed past him before he could say another word to her.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

At dinner**,** true to her word, Ginny tried her best to ignore Harry. She even tried to sit as far away from him as she could at the table, but Fred plopped down in the chair she had pulled out.

"Move, Fred! I was going to sit here!" she said angrily. "Mum, make him get up!"

"Ginny, what in heaven's name...just sit there, across from Harry. That's the only empty seat left, it's taken me long enough to get everyone to sit down. The food will get cold if we don't eat," Mrs. Weasley said, squeezing past a row of chairs as she charmed a tray of rolls and a bowl of gravy to the table.

Ginny did as she was told, her cheeks turning faintly pink.

She would not meet Harry's eye, and seemed barely able to eat. She moved the food around on her plate, making artwork out of the elaborately made chicken dish, mashed potatoes, and gravy.

Harry watched her intently, though she pretended not to notice him. His stubborn nature set in, and he decided he would force her to pay him attention. Under the table, he purposely brushed against Ginny's leg with his own. She jumped, almost knocking over her glass of water.

"What's with you?" Ron asked.

"I thought I saw something…outside the window—"

"Not more gnomes! I thought we'd got them all this time!" said Mrs. Weasley, whipping around in her seat to peer out the window.

"No, Mum. It was nothing," Ginny said. She looked quickly at Harry with a little scowl. Harry fought a grin, waited another minute, then made another move, this time cuddling her legs inside of his own under the table, and pressing together. She knew she was caught; if she jerked free, she would draw attention to them both, which would cause relentless torture from her brothers, which Harry knew she would not want. She had no choice but to keep her legs where they were under the table, in between Harry's legs, where no one could see. She set her mouth in a thin line, and did not look at Harry the rest of dinner.

As soon as Fred and George let out enormously loud belches, signifying dinner was over for them, Ginny jumped up from the table.

"I'll help with the dishes," she said, and grabbed her brother's plates, whipping out of sight before Harry thought of an excuse to be near her.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Later on that evening, Harry came out of the bathroom, having taken a shower before bed, and casually walked into the room he and Ron were sharing, rubbing soap out of his ears with his towel. He was feeling relaxed after a terrific dinner and knowing that he would not be spending the night in a house that had no love for him. Whistling, he ran the towel over his hair once more, and stopped suddenly at the sight before him, frowning slightly at the strange, moving mound on Ron's bed. At first he thought it a ghoul, or ghost, as the shape was groaning and gasping and writhing underneath the sheets.

"Oi!" Harry called, reaching for his wand.

"Get out!" Ron's voice suddenly barked from under the sheets.

Shit, it hadn't been a ghoul after all! It had been his two best friends having an intimate moment!

"Oh, bloody hell, sorry–" Harry sputtered.

"_OUT_!" Ron nearly shouted. Harry backed out of the room quickly, thoroughly humiliated, pulling the door shut behind him.

Back in the hallway, he felt a wave of panic. He was practically naked in the hallway with nowhere to go. He couldn't go to Bill's room, who he really didn't know that well. He didn't want to go to the common room, because he might fall asleep and be humiliated in the morning with no clothes on, not to mention he could get his two best friends into trouble. Hermione was supposed to be staying in Ginny's room, that's what Mrs. Weasley had made quite clear several times before everyone retired for the evening. If he went to the twins' room, well, there was no telling how far they'd take trying to embarrass everyone—Ron, Hermione and Harry.

That left Ginny. Maybe he could go to her room. He was certain she would still be up.

Sucking in a deep breath, he crept down the hall to her room. With a pounding heart, he knocked softly on the door.

Ginny opened it a crack, but Harry ducked quickly into her room before anyone came in the hallway.

"Harry! Are you mad? You aren't supposed to—"

"Ron and Hermione are shagging. I walked in on them, I can't go back there, not now," he interrupted.

Ginny gasped, and then burst into laughter. "Oh, no, you must be scarred for life." She sighed, shaking her head. "At it _again_…I can't believe those two, they're like jackrabbits."

"Sorry, did you say _again_?"

"Oh, yes. Ron's been paying me a Galleon a day not to tell Mum."

Harry laughed now, shaking his head. His laughter came to almost an abrupt halt as Ginny turned, walking over to her bed to sit down. It hit him suddenly how sexy Ginny looked right now. She was wearing a tight white tank top and the smallest pair of gray shorts he'd ever seen; it was obvious she wore nothing underneath either articles of clothing. He zeroed in on all of her exposed, smooth looking skin. The sloping shoulders, the long thighs, the rounded backside as she'd walked to her bed. He gulped, trying not to stare at her clearly defined nipples pressed against the material of her shirt. He sat down on one of the chairs opposite her bed and put his towel on his lap, hoping to hide his sudden state of arousal.

"Well, Harry Potter, I suppose this is what you wanted, isn't it? To end up in my bedroom?" Ginny said with a smirk, crossing her legs.

"If that's what you're thinking, that I just want to shag you, you're wrong. I didn't have anywhere else to go." He looked down, and tapped his fingers nervously against the back of his leg. "Besides, I wouldn't know…I mean, I never…"

"You never what?"

"Never mind," Harry said, growing red. _What the devil are you saying, you prat? That's right, just keep blowing it for yourself, tell her you're a virgin, she'll never want to wait for you now,_ he scolded himself.

"You haven't been with anyone? Is that it?" Ginny said, teasingly. Harry scowled.

"No, I haven't. I've been too busy trying to kill the wizard who has managed to take away almost everyone I care about," he snapped. She probably thought he was a big loser, she probably wanted to laugh at him, and throw him out of her room by the ears.

"Harry…"Ginny started, the smile gone from her face. "I didn't mean it like that. It's perfectly alright."

Harry said nothing. He really didn't know why he was here, why he had come to her room. _Had_ he come hoping to do what Ron and Hermione were doing? Or had he come just to be near her, around her? They practically had an argument earlier, and things weren't going so great now. So far all he had succeeded in doing was embarrassing himself.

"You know what?" he said, standing up. "I think I'll go to the common room. I shouldn't be here."

"You don't have to go, I'm honestly sorry for what I said. I—"

"No, it's okay. I just shouldn't have come to your room to begin with. I'll go downstairs."

Ginny's blue eyes flashed with anger. "Go, then. That's all you want to do anyway, is play games with me." She marched over to her bedroom door and yanked it open. "The truth is, you don't know what the hell you want. You want me out of your life, but you say you'll go mad if I end up with someone else. You come to my room after you know everyone's asleep and now you're saying you shouldn't have come at all."

Harry got up from the chair and closed her door back. "Don't wake the whole house up, for Merlin's sake. And I'm not playing games with you. I just don't want you to get hurt. That's why I broke it off with you, can't you understand that–"

"Must you also treat me like a child? I can and _will_ make decisions for myself! I don't need you doing what you think is best! It's ridiculous! You're right, you need to leave. Get out. Just get out of my room and leave me alone!"

They stood staring at each other, both breathing heavily. Yet neither was moving. Ginny's arms were once again folded across her chest, only she didn't look as angry as the words she had just spoken to him.

"Is that what you really want me to do?" Harry asked softly.

"Yes." Ginny held her chin up.

"Well…Ginny…" Harry said gently as he put his hands on her waist, "Would it be alright if I have a kiss goodnight?"

Ginny said nothing, only watched his hands on her body, then raised her eyes to his. She wasn't slapping him yet. He leaned down close…She hadn't made a move to hex him yet. He moved a bit closer, closing his eyes and finally pressed his lips against hers.

She whimpered slightly, not breaking the kiss. Everything was right in the world, in this moment. Unable to resist any longer, Harry slid his arms around her waist, pulling Ginny against him, kissing her harder. Ginny's arms wrapped around his neck, tongue touching his own. It was delicious, absolutely perfect. He had been waiting months to hold her close again.

He was inexperienced, to the point of being pathetic, but the chemistry between he and Ginny was right. His hands slid down to her backside, which he grabbed in both hands. She was very plump here, and he liked it. Too much. He wasn't able to control his natural impulses any longer, knowing that she could feel it, how hard he was right now. But Ginny didn't seem to mind, not with the way she was moving her body against him.

Ginny pulled him, never letting their lips part, towards her bed. There was a stuffed Hippogriff and some crumbled clothes on the top blanket, which she sent flying to the floor with a sweep of her arm. She fell back onto the soft mattress, yanking him down on top of her. He had no idea what to do, but Ginny wasn't leaving much time for him to wonder. It felt good to be so desired by someone as beautiful as she was. He closed his eyes against her mouth sucking his neck as tingles rushed down his spine. Ginny reached inside his robe, running her fingers over the smooth muscle of his chest, and he thanked God for all those years of Quidditch. He had _something_ to offer her, even if it wasn't experience.

He stopped then, breathless. "Ginny…" he said.

"Yes?" she whispered.

"What are we doing?"

Ginny giggled. "What's it look like?"

"Are we really…I mean, I want to, of course, but…I've never done it before."

Ginny kissed him. "I don't care."

"But, haven't you?"

Ginny shook her head, frowning. "Why would you think that?"

Harry was surprised. "You mean, you're a virgin too?"

"What kind of girl do you think I am, Harry?" Ginny said, swatting him on the arm. She laughed playfully, quietly, and rolled away from him, wrapping one leg across his waist.

"I just assumed…you and Dean…"

"No. I mean, of course we messed around. He _was_ my boyfriend. But I never went to bed with him."

Harry smiled, all the way to his soul. "I'm going to be a selfish arse and say that I'm so happy to hear that."

He leaned towards her again, kissing her slowly. It was only seconds before they were tangled up in each other's arms again.

"I love you," Ginny whispered in his ear.

Harry paused. Something in his heart beat strong, free, like a bird released from a cage. She loved him. He could not remember ever hearing those words before. It confused him; part of him wanted to pull away, shut down, and part of him wanted to open up, all the way. She was beautiful. She was smart. She was strong.

"Ginny…" he said softly. "How can you say that, knowing that I have to leave you? I haven't done anything to make you feel that way. I haven't–"

"It's not about that, Harry. It's about how you make me feel. How you've made me feel since the first time I saw you. I want you to know how I feel more than ever. I want you to know that if you come back–_when_ you come back–I'll be here. Waiting. For you. Always waiting for you," Ginny whispered. Her eyes brimmed with tears she did not let fall.

It was enough convincing for him. "I love you, too," Harry said. He'd never dreamed he'd be saying these words to her, his best friend's little sister, yet here he was, and his words were true and so were hers. He loved her. She loved him in return.

"Let's not waste another second. We don't know what tomorrow will bring," Ginny whispered. She removed his glasses, setting them on the windowsill beside the bed.

"Ginny–"

"Now, that's enough, Harry Potter. Take me. Tonight. Give me something to think about when you're gone. Give me something to look forward to when you return," she whispered. Harry nodded. Hell, he was a teenage boy, and he was in love and if she was willing, then dammit, so was he. Ginny rolled on top of him, covering his mouth with hers. Her long hair tumbled down over both of them like a soft waterfall. She giggled as she tried to push it back.

"Leave it. I love your hair," Harry said to her. He ran his hands over her, his heart swelling with emotion. Ginny leaned away from him, and pulled her white shirt off. She changed it up, laying back down, pulling him on top of her, sliding a long leg up around his waist. As they kissed each other fervently, she clung to him, arching her back to press firmly against his body. She sucked at his lower lip as she ran her fingers underneath his robe, and finally pushed it off of him. He was totally naked, bare for her to see all of him, in her room, in her bed. They were about to go all the way. He had never imagined it going this well, this wonderfully. He wanted this experience with Ginny. He _needed_ it.

"Ginny, I'm dying for you," he whispered.

"Live. For me," she told him.

"I promise," Harry said.

After, Harry would remember with clarity all the little things about that night: the stillness in the room, the smell of Ginny's soap on her sheets, the brightness of the moon and the stars.

The way Ginny's brows knit together when he first entered her.

The exhilarating feeling of coming inside of her.

The moment when he realized that if he ever lost her, he'd die.

It was unfair, he thought much later, how just when life gave you something good, something else came to take it away.


End file.
